Course Description: Macroeconomics deals with the aggregate
economy—consumers as a whole, producers as a whole, the effects of government spending
and taxation policies, and the effects of the monetary policy carried out by
the Federal Reserve Bank. Macroeconomics is concerned with issues like economic
growth unemployment, inflation, and the business cycle. This course is meant to
give students insight into the dynamics of the national economy which will make
students better informed citizens and prepare them for upper level finance,
marketing, business administration, economics, government and social work
courses.

Course
Objectives: Students who
complete this course will be able to understand:

the basic concepts of scarcity and opportunity
cost;

the forces of demand and supply and how they
interact to determine an equilibrium price;

how and why equilibrium prices might change and
their impact on resource allocation;

the meaning of unemployment and inflation data and
how that data is collected and computed;

the meaning and components of the National Income
Accounts, especially GDP;

how fiscal policy operates, its tools, and its
advantages and drawbacks;

how a fractional reserve banking system works;

how monetary policy operates, its tools, and its
advantages and drawbacks.

I would also like you to learn how to use basic economic concepts and
tools in economic analysis of the world around us and to develop analytical
abilities. “It (economics) is a method rather than a doctrine, an apparatus of
the mind, a technique of thinking which helps its possessor to draw correct
conclusions.” J.M. Keynes

Text:Macroeconomics, 10th Edition, by Michael Parkin (Pearson, 2011). We
will cover Chapters 1 through 15. You can use the 9th edition if you
wish. MyEconLab is required for this course. The MyEconLab Course Number
is leo91426.

Course Outline:

Section 1

Jul
9 to Jul 20:Chapters 1-6,
including Appendices

Test
1, Friday Jul 20

Section 2

Jul
1 to Aug 2:Chapters
7-10

Test
2, Thursday Aug 2

Section 3

Aug
3 to Aug 13:Chapters 11-15

Aug
3 to Aug 15:Written
project

Tuesday Aug 14 &

Wednesday Aug 15:Comprehensive
Final including chapters 1-15

Test dates are targets and may be
adjusted if necessary.

MyEconLab homework for each section will be
due the end of the day of the test over that section (thru 11:59 pm). If each
of the section’s homework is 90% or more complete by the deadline, 2 extra
credit points will be awarded.

Grading Policy:Course
grade will be calculated as follows-

Online
Practice Homework and In-Class Homework — 15%
of total.

2
Regular Tests — 15%each, 30% of total.

Project
— 20% of total.

Final
— 35% of total.

Homework:

Online: There are chapter online homework
assignments in MyEconLab consisting of 40 or more multiple choice questions
which are designed to prepare students for tests. You can rework these
assignments up until the due date which will be the date of the test
covering those chapters. This enables you to make 100% on each of these
assignments if you continue to
rework the questions until they are all correct. If all of the section’s
homework is 90% or more complete by the deadline, 2 extra credit points will be
awarded.

In-class: Short answer problems and graphs are
assigned in addition to the online multiple choice questions. These assignments
consist of multi-part problems over some of the key concepts covered in lecture
and will require analysis and graphing. These short answer questions are very
representative of the questions you will see on your tests. The homework will
be handed out in class to be turned in at
the beginning of the following class. Any late homework will have
points deducted except for excused absences. The homework answers will be
presented on the board before the test. The two lowest in-class homework grades
will be dropped, but they can be added as extra credit points if you do them.

All assignments
must be turned in on time. No late work
will be accepted without point deductions. Your average on all homework
assignments will represent 15% of your course grade.

Tests: Tests consist of multiple choice questions
along with multi-part short answer/graph questions. There will be regular tests
announced in advance, with a comprehensive final which is required.
Extra credit work will be available for the first two regular tests.

If you are forced
to be absent for any test, please let me know by phone or e-mail before the test.Makeup tests will be given only with a
reasonable excuse for absence. Read the Testing Center policies.Information on the Testing Center may be found
at url: http://www.austincc.edu/testctr/studentarea.php.

Project: The written project, which you will
receive at Test 2, consists of short answer analytical and graphing problems
similar to the in-class homework that covers the entire course. This is a way
for students to demonstrate how much economics you have learned in a non-test
environment, so you have much more control over your score. It also serves as
an excellent review for the final. If you really work the project, you stand a
good chance of scoring higher on the final than on the prior tests. The project
score represents 20% of the course grade.

Blackboard: Handouts, in-class homework, project, and
other course materials will be available on Blackboard after each class. Please
check regularly for announcements.

If
you have not created your new ACC Username or Password through ACCeID Manager,
then please go to this link: http://www.austincc.edu/acceid first. Once you submit this Username, just
follow the instructions.

Course Policies:

Attendance: You are expected to attend class. You
will be required to sign an attendance roll daily. You will only be allowed 3 excused absences. Any unexcused or
absence in excess of 3 (unless arranged beforehand) and you may be subject to
withdrawal for excessive absences. Course material may be presented in class in
a different form from your textbook and could be included on any test. Students
are expected to read the textbook on their own, preferably before the class in
which it will be discussed. I can guarantee that if you don’t come to class or
if you do not read the book, you will not do as well in this course. 10 extra credit points
will be given for 100% attendance. Extra credit points will be prorated for the
% of classes you attend.

Withdrawal: Students
who enter a Texas college or university in Fall 2007 or later are limited to
SIX withdrawals during their entire undergraduate academic career. It is
important that students talk with an advisor or counselor prior to any
withdrawal. Please read athttp://www.austincc.edu/withdraw/conseq_and_resources/conseq.htmto make sure you understand about withdrawals. Students who wish to withdraw from specific
courses should initiate withdrawal procedures with the Campus Admissions and
Records Office prior to the published deadline for withdrawals. Students who
are not withdrawn as of the established deadline will receive a performance
grade (A, B, C, D, or F). Students must present a picture I.D. to withdraw from
the course. Last day to withdraw (initiated by instructor or student) or to
reinstate students for the Summer 2012 2nd 5.5-Week session is August 8 (Wed). If you do not
withdraw, I don’t feel required to do it for you, and you will end up with a
failing grade. Of course, if you
just stop coming to class and don’t take the required tests and turn in your
project, you will receive an F for the course. Take care of your own
business. I may withdraw you from the course for excessive absences or missing
tests at my discretion.

Dishonesty:
Academic work submitted by students
shall be the result of their own thought, research or self-expression. For
purposes of these regulations, academic work is defined as, but not limited to
exams and quizzes, whether taken electronically or on paper; projects, either
individual or group; papers; classroom presentations; and homework. As
described in the ACC Student Handbook, scholastic dishonesty constitutes a
violation of college rules and regulations and is punishable according to the
procedures outlined in the Handbook. Scholastic dishonesty includes, but is not
limited to, cheating on an exam (either providing answers to or stealing
answers from another student), plagiarism, and collusion. Plagiarism includes
use of another author's words or arguments without attribution. Collusion is
defined as the unauthorized collaboration with another person in preparing
written work for fulfillment of any course requirement. If a student commits
any of the above actions, the instructor may seek disciplinary action in the
form of an academic penalty (which may include a course grade of 'F'). Such
disciplinary action will be at the discretion of the instructor.

Freedom of
Expression:Each student is strongly encouraged to
participate in class discussions. In any classroom situation that includes
discussion and critical writing, there are bound to be many differing
viewpoints. Students may not only disagree with each other at times, but the
students and instructor may also find that they have disparate views on
sensitive and volatile topics. It is my hope that these differences will enhance
class discussion and create an atmosphere where students and instructor alike
will be encouraged to think and learn. Therefore, be assured that your grades
will not be adversely affected by any beliefs or ideas expressed in class or in
assignments. Rather, we will all respect the views of others when expressed in
classroom discussions. COURTESY TO ALL IS REQUIRED AT ALL TIMES.

Accommodation: Each ACC campus offers support services
for students with documented disabilities through a campus Office
for Students with Disabilities
(OSD). Students with disabilities must request reasonable accommodations
through OSD on the campus where they expect to take the majority of their
classes. ACC urges students with disabilities to apply for accommodations at
least three weeks before the start of each term.

You will find that
I am pretty flexible as long as you play straight with me. I want every single
person in the class to leave with the best knowledge of macroeconomics I can
give you and I am more than willing to meet with you individually or in a group
to help—all you have to do is ask. I will give you every opportunity to work
for your grade—what I won’t do is just give it to you. You have to earn it, but
I will give you lots of extra chances to improve it.It really matters to me that you learn the
material and that you make the best grade in the class possible with the effort
you are willing to make.